Whether it is a steaming bowl of your favourite pasta after being caught in a downpour or a crisp salad on a hot day, we all know that food has the power to restore, revive and rejuvenate. But it isn't just about the food on the plate: it's about how it got there. Cooking also has the power to turn a day (or a week, or a month, or a year) around. Focussing the mind on one activity and making the disparate collection of ingredients on your kitchen counter into something delicious can make the biggest (or the smallest) of problems seem far away. And what's more, what you end up with serves a purpose. It nourishes you inside and out. Stirring Slowly celebrates time spent in the kitchen. Wile away a happy hour or more folding a batch of pork and prawn gyozas, kneading pastry for a chicken and leek pie, or flipping some apple, ricotta and hazelnut pancakes.

There are recipes for every occasion, but, most of all, there are recipes for those everyday in-between times when, actually, you just want to cook something, and you want it to be really good.